Dark skies of northern Minnesota make National Geographic’s top 25 “Best of the World” amazing journeys to take in 2022

 

National Geographic has cited the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Voyageurs National Park as one of the 25 best places on earth to visit in 2022.

What makes the BWCAW and Voyageur’s so alluring are its vibrant night skies. As a result, the Northern Minnesota national parks were named in the “Natural Category,” along with Victoria, Australia; Lake Baikal, Russia; Belize, and Namibia.

“Thousands and thousands of stars dazzle above northern Minnesota. Yet, this remote region bordering the Canadian province of Ontario has little to no light pollution, and residents are determined to keep it that way.

“Although the pandemic changed when, where, and how we travel, we are eager to unleash our wanderlust— and see what wonders we’ll uncover,” said the magazine staff writers.

A few World Heritage sites were named in the Best of the World list as a way to honor UNESCO’s 50 years of efforts to safeguard natural and cultural treasures.

National Geographic spot-lighted the Heart of the Continent Dark Sky initiative, praising the organization for its efforts to preserve the area as a dark sky destination.

“The Heart of the Continent Dark Sky Initiative is a cross-border effort underway to create one of the largest dark-sky destinations on the planet. Two of its biggest pieces are in Minnesota: Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the world’s largest International Dark Sky sanctuary at more than a million acres, and neighboring Voyageur’s National Park, the state’s first International Dark Sky Park. Both wild places received dark-sky certifications in 2020, and Ontario’s Quetico Provincial Park, which adjoins the wilderness area, earned Dark Sky Park status in early 2021.”

And, said Christina Hausman Rhode, executive director of the nonprofit Voyageurs Conservancy, “It allows us a window to the past; to see the skies as they were hundreds of years ago, used for navigation and storytelling be peoples lie the voyageurs of the fur trade and Indigenous Ojibwe.”

Five categories made up the list-nature, Adventure, Sustainability, Culture and History, and Family.